Popcorn
Hey fellow foodies! Today’s talk will cover that buttery, salty snack that satisfies you during the movies. No, I’m not still on about pretzels. It’s popcorn! Popcorn is made out of maize, what the rest of the world calls what we refer to in the United States as corn. But not just any corn – trust me, when I was 12 years old and created a burned mess in the microwave, I figured that out.
Science
Corn kernels have a tough, moisture sealed hull to protect its inside starchy components. During germination, those starches are broken down into sugars used to provide the seed energy. When the kernel is heated, since the boiling liquid on the inside can’t escape the hull, pressure builds until – POP! – the starch explodes while simultaneously gelatinizing upon air contact, forming the fluffy matrix we know and love. The speed at which the heat is applied is of great consequence. If the heat is too fast, the hull will rupture before the starch gelatinizes, which is what gives you those kernels with crunchy insides. Too slow, and the kernels won’t pop at all. Popcorn sellers rank the price of popcorn based on two factors: What percent of the kernels pop, and by what percent the popped kernels expand. And there’s also a challenge with keeping moisture at the right levels. If too much moisture is in the kernels, then molds can grow, so producers often opt to dry the kernels, but not so dry that the gelatinization reaction can’t occur. Woah! Science!
A popped popcorn kernel is known in the industry as a “flake”, and there’s two flake types that all popcorn aficionados like yourselves should be familiar with (shown here for your convenience). A “mushroom” is a round flake that is tougher than the more winged “butterfly” flake shown on the right.
While the butterfly flake has better mouthfeel and thus is better fresh at the movies, the hardier mushroom is better for confectionary treatments (like caramel corn, chocolate corn, etc.) and microwaveable popcorn. Remember those tins from the holidays? Or is it just me?
Popcorn History
Popcorn wasn’t always the movie theatre staple that brings us into buttery bliss, as it was first domesticated from wild grass about 9000 years ago in Mexico. Yum. Anthropologists believe that the original purpose of corn production was for popping, evidenced by the discovery of shallow vessels with a hole on top and a single handle, kind of like ancient Jiffy Pop, if you will. Popcorn had a place in several cultural traditions. As Spanish historian Bernardino de Sahagun writes: “And also a number of young women danced, having so vowed, a popcorn dance. As thick as tassels of maize were their popcorn garlands. And these they placed upon (the girls’)heads.” A little weird, but hey, popcorn brings joy, I guess. The English colonists got their first taste of popcorn at the First Thanksgiving Feast, in 1621, when Quadequina, the brother of the Wampannoag chief, brought a bag of popped corn for the gathering.
(“We totally come in peace. Really.”)
Popcorn in the US after that time was, strangely enough, a breakfast food, often consumed with milk and cream. From the 1890’s until the Great Depression, it was a moderately popular whole grain breakfast, but that all changed with the depression. Five to ten cent bags of popcorn were available from street vendors using gas powered carts, and as a luxury most families could afford, the demand for popcorn skyrocketed, especially when paired with cheap escapes from the dire straits of life such as movies. Movie theatre owners realized more money could be made from popcorn sales than tickets themselves, and when the Second World War required rationing of sugar (cutting candy sales at the theatre) Americans consumed three times more popcorn.
The All-Important “Popcorn Popper”
Popcorn would not be possible without a heating mechanism to agitate the kernels, so here’s how it’s done. Popcorn was traditionally cooked over a fire, or by adding hot ash and sifting the kernels. As you would expect, the mixture was dry, unevenly cooked, and typically burned. Fortunately for us, Charles Cretors invented the modern popcorn maker in 1885. It used steam to heat the kernels in a mixture of butter, lard, and salt, which could withstand the 450⁰F temperature needed to pop popcorn.
That’s all for now folks!
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